Variations in Religious and Spiritual Practices Among Mothers and Grandmothers in Three Generational Households

Abstract

This article discusses the experiences of members of six dyads of adolescent mothers and their mothers, residing together in three generational households, related to religion and spirituality. Using a grounded theory approach, grandmothers emphasized their reliance on organized religion or spirituality, although teenaged mothers did not share this perspective. The grandmothers, functioning as the family matriarch, wanted to socialize their grandchildren in faith. This merits further study about the transmission of religious values in three generational family systems and holds implications for faith communities in meeting congregant needs and for social workers in integrating religious and spiritual interventions with mothers.